The document DE 4330178 B4 discloses a surge arrester.
In the interior of the surge arrester, when a specific limit voltage, the ignition voltage, is exceeded, an arc flashover occurs between two of the three electrodes. The limit voltage is designated as response DC voltage Urdc in the case of static or steady-state loading with a voltage rise of 100 V/s, and as response surge voltage Urs in the case of dynamic loading with a voltage rise of 1 kV/μs. The arc is maintained by the feeding current as long as the electrical conditions for the arc exist.